Physical AI & robotics news
- · Industry
AI Outbound Calling Focuses on Telecom Infrastructure
On September 7, 2026, leaderobot.com published an article on the importance of telecom infrastructure—not just large language models—in the AI outbound-calling industry.
- · Product launches
Toyota to introduce driver-assistance features in production vehicles in 2028
Toyota announced its plans for deploying autonomous driving technology on Aug. 27, 2026. It said it plans to introduce Level 2++ autonomous driving in production vehicles starting in 2028.
- · Research & technology
Ricoh Develops Technology to Generate General-Purpose AI Models From Video
Nikkei xTECH reported that Ricoh has developed physical AI technology that learns action representations less dependent on the mechanisms or control methods of people and robots, using videos of their work.
- · Industry
Boston Dynamics Spotlights Atlas Repair Technician
Boston Dynamics published an interview on its official blog with Mark DiLeo, lead technician on the Atlas repair and maintenance team.
- · Product launches
PUDU D7 named honoree at IFA Innovation Awards
Pudu Robotics announced on September 6, 2026, local time, that its semi-humanoid robot, PUDU D7, was named an Honoree in the “Best in IFA Next & Emerging Technologies” category at the IFA Innovation Awards.
- · Product launches
Tesla Releases Cybercab Specifications
Tesla held an unveiling event for its robotaxi-only vehicle, Cybercab, in Austin on September 3.
- · Partnerships & M&A
NEURA Robotics, SECO Partner on Computing Modules for 4NE1
NEURA Robotics and SECO S.p.A. announced on September 7, 2026, a partnership to design, develop and manufacture electronic computing modules for NEURA’s cognitive robots. The lineup includes the 4NE1 humanoid, and the modules will incorporate Qualcomm Technologies’ Dragonwing™ processors. The companies will also prepare for mass production in Europe and jointly develop real-world data and automation technologies for semiconductor and electronics manufacturing.
- · Research & technology
MiraiBit Launches Full-Scale Physical AI R&D, Using OpenArm v2 and Unitree G1
MiraiBit Inc. announced Sept. 7, 2026, that it had begun full-scale research and development in Physical AI.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Susono City and Toyota Motor East Japan Sign Cooperation Agreement
Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Toyota Motor East Japan have signed a cooperation agreement for a public-road demonstration of the autonomous delivery robot “cocomo.”
- · Product launches
Highlanders unveils domestically produced quadruped robot “HLQ EDGE,” with 60 kg payload
Highlanders has unveiled the domestically produced quadruped robot “HLQ EDGE.” It has a payload capacity of 60 kg and is touted as capable of traversing steps and terrain with ditches using physical AI. Publicly available information is limited to the product announcement; production volume and sales timing have not been disclosed. The focus is on how the company presents the quadruped’s performance through a combination of hardware specifications and control.
- · Research & technology
WIRED.jp reports that Generalist AI’s robot learns tasks from short demonstration videos
WIRED.jp reported on September 7 that Generalist AI’s robot arm learned tasks simply by watching short demonstration videos. The article describes a demonstration observed at the company’s office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is a report about how robot learning is explained; readers should consult the original source for details.
- · Industry
Asami Sasao named to IFR’s Women in Robotics 2026
Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced that Asami Sasao, of its Robot Division, was selected for the International Federation of Robotics’ “IFR’s Women in Robotics 2026.”
- · Partnerships & M&A
NSK and Atom reach basic agreement on partnership
automation-news.jp reported that NSK (Nippon Seiko) and Atom signed a basic agreement on a strategic partnership to develop and deploy domestically produced humanoid AI robots.
- · Product launches
Physical Intelligence Introduces Hi Robot
Physical Intelligence published a research article on its hierarchical robot reasoning system, Hierarchical Interactive Robot (Hi Robot).
- · Product launches
Tesla Japan to unveil Cybercab in Japan for the first time
Tesla Japan announced that it will unveil Cybercab, a vehicle for autonomous ride-hailing, in Japan for the first time.
- · Product launches
Intel Labs showcases live demo of human-robot collaboration
Intel’s research division, Intel Labs, has posted a live demo showcasing human-robot collaboration in manufacturing.
- · Product launches
Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics 2 can control humanoid robots from feet to fingertips, report says
RoboZaps reported on July 31, 2026, that Google DeepMind’s “Gemini Robotics 2” can control humanoid robots from feet to fingertips. The model is positioned as part of Google DeepMind’s lineup of robotics models. However, the report is based on an excerpt, and details about the conditions for real-world testing and evaluation methods are limited.
- · Industry
Ouster reports $55 million in second-quarter revenue
Ouster reported financial results for the second quarter of 2026, with revenue of $55 million. Shipments of lidar and camera sensors topped 17,000 units, up from the same period a year earlier.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Wayve, Uber and Nissan Announce Robotaxi Partnership; Plan Tokyo Pilot in Second Half of 2026
Wayve, Uber and Nissan Motor Co. signed a memorandum of understanding for a robotaxi partnership. They are preparing a pilot deployment in Tokyo in the second half of 2026, with plans to equip the Nissan LEAF with Wayve AI Driver. It would be Uber’s first autonomous vehicle partnership in Japan and part of plans by Wayve and Uber to expand to more than 10 cities.
- · Research & technology
36Kr Publishes Article on World Models and Improved Robot Capabilities
On Sept. 5, 36Kr published an article about how world models are handled after training and improvements in robot capabilities.
- · Research & technology
Kimodo C++ Implementation Released on GitHub
According to its GitHub description, a repository implementing NVIDIA’s Kimodo text-to-motion model in GGML/C++ has been released.
- · Deployment & production
Wandercraft Wins 12 Customers for Industrial Humanoid Calvin-40; Renault Plans to Deploy 350 Units
Wandercraft announced on September 4, 2026, that it had won 12 customers for its industrial humanoid, Calvin-40, including some of the world’s largest organizations in the automotive, logistics, retail, health care and defense sectors. The company plans to expand mass production and establish a commercial advantage in the industrial humanoid market. Renault Group has announced plans to deploy 350 humanoids within the next 18 months.
- · Product launches
Unitree Announces H2 Plus Research Humanoid Robot
Unitree reported that it had unveiled the H2 Plus as a reference humanoid robot for NVIDIA Isaac GR00T.
- · Product launches
Physical Intelligence unveils general-purpose robot policy π0
Physical Intelligence said Oct. 31 that it had unveiled its general-purpose robot policy, π0.
- · Partnerships & M&A
Skild AI Acquires Zebra’s Robotics Division
Skild AI announced on its official blog that it had acquired Zebra Technologies’ robotics division.
- · Product launches
Skild AI unveils vision for general-purpose robot brain, ‘Skild Brain’
Skild AI said in an official blog post that it is developing ‘Skild Brain,’ a general-purpose robotics foundation model not limited to particular robot types or tasks.
- · Deployment & production
Matsuda Denki Kogyosho installs two Mujin robots
Mujin announced Sept. 3 that it had automated returnable-container receiving and putaway processes at Matsuda Denki Kogyosho.
- · Product launches
Roborock Unveils Home Pool-Cleaning Robot
According to Forbes, Roborock introduced the RockAqua P1, a cleaning robot for residential pools.
- · Deployment & production
Tesla Reportedly Begins Optimus Production in Fremont; Early Output Expected to Be Extremely Slow
Tesla has reportedly begun production of its humanoid robot Optimus at its Fremont, California, factory. The production line is said to use the former Model S and Model X line, while Elon Musk reportedly said the ramp-up would be “extremely slow.” The timing of a full-scale production ramp-up and the nature of supply constraints remain unclear in current reports.
- · Funding
UK humanoid robotics company raises about $150 million in Series A, valued at $1.35 billion
UK-based Humanoid raised $152 million in a Series A round, giving it a valuation of $1.35 billion.